Justin Marshall has re-affirmed his commitment to the All Blacks and wants to be involved in the three Tests against the British & Irish Lions.
The veteran Crusaders and Canterbury scrum-half created a storm in the build-up to the Super 12 final last weekend when he publicly questioned his motivation and availability for the All Blacks and hinted he may be overlooked by the selectors for the series.
But Marshall, who will head to Zurich Premiership club Leeds after the Lions series, has now revealed his desire to pull on the All Blacks jersey, regardless of whether it was in a starting position or off the bench, and said his previous comments had been taken out of context.
"Now that I’ve got that [Super 12 final] behind me and we’ve got an exciting series coming up, I feel that within myself I’m in the right frame of mind and I would love to be involved in the Lions series," he told Radio Sport.
"I always said I wanted to get through to the point we got to on Saturday and hopefully finish on a real high with the Crusaders and then go on from there.
"That was my sole focus leading up to the Super 12. I didn’t have any thoughts anywhere else."
Now with the Super 12 trophy safely tucked away at Jade Stadium and his Crusaders career brought to a winning end the scrum-half insisted he would devote himself completely to the series against the Lions.
"I was not turning my back on the All Blacks jersey, what I wanted people to realise is that I was focusing on the final," added Marshall, who has won 77 Test caps.
"Now I’ll be in the right frame of mind to be an All Black. I just want to be involved in the series, and whether it’s from the bench or starting, I’ll be giving my best to the All Blacks."
